Somebody get Castro - and the Mets - an alarm clock!

Just when I thought I’d heard it all, Ramon Castro with a new one. Seems the Mets backup catcher showed up late for yesterday’s game in San Diego because he thought the game was at 4:05-not 1:05 West Coast time. This excuse goes right up there with Duaner Sanchez making a food run at 3:30 am in Miami two years ago.

Chances are Ramon did a little too much partying Saturday. How else to explain how Castro could forget he’d be catching Pedro Martinez? Day game after a night game, when Castro knows he’ll sub for Brian Schenider. A catcher needs to be more ‘in tune’ with his pitcher and on time than anyone else on the field.

Well, Castro’s not the only one that needs to wake up. HOW this team could manage three runs in three games against that ‘vaunted’ Padre staff is beyond me. Oh, there’s another inning the Mets left runners on base. They had big opportunities to take control of all four of the games. Watching Billy Wagner implode and surrender a three run shot to 98 year old Tony Clark was the ‘coup de grace’ for a lovely weekend in San Diego.

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The club was sure asleep at the switch regarding Ryan Church. You remember the Mets right fielder was clearly their best player prior to suffering his 2nd concussion in 4 months May 20th in Atlanta. The club should have put him on the DL until they were absolutely sure he was OK. Instead, Church has been on TWO trips out west and back-never quite feeling right. The Mets announced during the weekend that Church would not play and would be examined in New York this week?

What? There aren’t any doctors in San Francisco, San Diego or the short trip to L.A. that could examine Church? He was finally placed on the D-L tonight. The whole scenario is like the team’s play this season-it stinks. Something seems real fishy.

Now, I understand charity events are a great thing for a team to do. But for the team to fly cross country and spend a day off in Connecticut could also be bad for the club. Don’t you want to get some rest after a long flight? Know this: If the Mets don’t pick up the pace-they’re 7 and a half back of the streaking Phillies right now-they’ll be plenty of time to rest in the offseason-and even longer for manager Willie Randolph, who will lose his job.